The New England Patriots' running back situation at the end of the season was a mess. They lost LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis and were forced to used a futile combo of Steven Jackson and James White behind an ineffective offensive line in the AFC title game.
Looking forward, the offensive line projects to get healthier and be, well, less abysmal moving forward. As for running backs, the Patriots expect to get 2015 breakout star Dion Lewis back -- and some incomplete pieces around him.
Building the run game around a player with a rough injury history coming off of major knee surgery is far from preferable for the Patriots, which means that the team could be looking to add a more conventional running back to the mix -- to pair with the undersized Lewis and receiving-centric White.